The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-11-10
oOn prove the old adage, AN work and no

soon prove the old adage, "All work and no
play" etc.
The Michigan Brigade must picket the Cav
airy Corps. Picketng is hard work, danger
ous work; yet old soldiers always prefer The
advance There, they are Of the few who know
as much Of the situation il possiblet 10 know.
And on this weary 9Th Of July. 1863, the pick
cts knew that long, sinuous line OF rebels were
winding their way around our columns
The hills Of Cash Town are becoming
alive with the grizzly, retreating soldiers OF
Lees army. Every knoll has a battery, and
every ravine is full of bayonets but all is quiet
on the road that leads to Boonsboro.
James Buchanan. James Hutton, Pierson
and Cox, and a squad of the LIST Mich Cav. are
happy. Capt. Alexander is a boy with the
bows Capt. Gray, Of the 9th Cav. Eph. Van
Burger, II. NJ. Bselow, George Richmond, the
O'Brien boys and a score OF others are now con-
WINGED that Custer knows
WHEN A sABER Is LOADED.
Col. Alger, Mai. Trowbridge and Gould have
demonstrated % the troopers what manly
man as a soldier, implies. The grand mass of
our men look to the east for the fight, but the
absence Of our artillery looks queer. We have
fallen in love with the gallant Battery Nj, and
with Pennington and Woodruff, the fighters Of
the battery.
our skirmish-line is still in position, and the
dark is so dark that the voice must guide us.
Col Gould comes along the line, aud In whis-
pers we take our orders, about face; aud take
the Boonshoro road" and soon we are in
mass What is all this for? The men talk IN
whispers and we are forbidden TO strike a
match 20 light our pipes.
An Aid rides along our line and forms us in
double column Of fours. We to charge with
sabers, and must go through. Forward,
march
TRoT-GALLoP-CHARGE
Yell, veil, veil after yell. The surprise is
complete: their line is broken, and division
OF infantry is ridden over and under foot. An
unseen enemy is once more crushing and
plunging.
For half the day we have been breathing the
air of prison, but one side Of our living prison
wall of enemies was being torn down and ITS
hayonets and guns overturned. The hghtlng
| blizzard had come against the wind, as our
movements by daylight had all been to appar-
! emily attack from the east aud north, aud our
! right wheel was almost due west Their trap
\ had been well set, but it failed TO spring, ex-
4 cept on one side.
Their division of infantry, with its thousands
OF muskets ratified a snul-curdling shower Of
! bullets. Their batteries were of little use TO
them after the first round, as their own ranks
were IN danger, while the flash Of guns, the
wells and the rushing Of the laundering cav
alrymen swept on in the darkness with fixed
determination to go through.
Led by
CUSTER AND KILPATRICK,
we went through, and about midnight biyou-
| aclIed near BOOnsbOro.
One incident ought TO be related here. A
mixed squad of troopers, al ugly and hungry,
| with Capt w. w. Gray, OF the 9Th, thought
they could swallow battery, and in the dark
all the soldiers then near Capt. Gray fell in
with the notion Dick Whitehead, Sam Brown
son, H. NJ. Blgelow Bugler Of Co. A.. George
BuZZell, Van Burger Charlie Osborne, Capt.
Magoflin, of Co. G, and score or more of the
lst Mich. boys ali went at this swallowing bat
terry business, with a certainty that If they
couldn't cook coffee and bacon. they would
cook and eat that battery. But they found a
string tied 20 the end OF the prize, the same as
Ike Crawiords Dutch Blacksmith used 10 feed
his dog meat, so that it could be used the next
day
July we were in line all day al Boonsboro,
but wild skirmishing was the order of the day
only.
July : the brigade was at Hagerstown, and
found rebels in great plenty, with brigade OF
them in splendid position to oppose us. Much
rain had made the fields so soft that our bat
teries could not move of from the turnpike To
do much good.
Mai Trowbridge was ordered to take the 9th
Mich. Cav. and charge.
Men who are alive this day, who were with
Trowbridge at that time, can see his face yet
in memory as he turned 10 the boys and gave
the order,
ATTENTION, Sra MIoHIGAE!"
beclzoning mt the same time 10 three or fonr oi
the tried and true comrades, while quickly
tightening saddle-girths, unbuttoning revolveI
holsters at the same time eyeing the mass and
battle-line Of the rebels
All nerves were in tension, with pulses beat
ing nj fully 100 and thoughts crowding each
man beyond utterance. "Forward-March
-Gallop-Charge!
The man does not live who can tell the story
Of charge lucidly. YclS-YELLs-YELLS
The lines meet with a crash; horses rear
plunge and jump; men cut strike, shoot
yell again, swear, laugh and cry--all senses ar
lost; men are insane; eyes are blazing heart
humping and disorder is everywhere. Thrusts
cuts and blows; all squirting, with muscles
, rigid, straight TO the front.
IL is a lifetime lived in three minutes
bronzed, grizzly rebs our natural enemies
Men who are
. MAIDENs' GENTLE LOVERS
are transformed here into devils Mothers an,
, homes are only dim glimpse OF memory
: Terror aud fear, and then with self-pride, eacl
mans manhood is sustained. By what2 b,
education.
Ten minutes or less tells the story, and on
Z victory is complete. The painting horses tb
{ trembling men-sOme with sabeF cuts IN gapn
? wounds, thrusts in the body or a skull lai
bare, but with hearts full Of thankfulness
practical illustration Of gallantry never SUI
!, passed by, aud typical Of, the tales Of Richar
CGur de Lion, when brave heart was hut
S synonym Of generous nature, with the Mhol
S world willing to grasp the hand of such 70,
, The charge is over; our fight is ended for
= time, and mutually the lines draw apart for
4 breathing spell aud 10 quietly await NOR
4 work.
"As Is the bud bit with an enyious worn,"
so is many yoath cut down by the gnawin
worm consumption. But il can be made 10 re
lease its hold aad stop Its gnawing. DIR. Pierce
Golden Medical Discovery" will, If taken !
time. effect pernaucuL gurpe NOT oulv Ia cOf